Rear-Admiral Lai is new Navy chief

RAdm Lai took over from outgoing Chief of Navy, RADM Ng Chee Peng, at a change of command parade held at Changi Naval Base.

The change is part of the continuing process of leadership renewal in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) on Friday.

RADM Lai is a President’s and SAF (Overseas) scholar. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Cambridge University, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University.

He served as commanding officer of the RSS Valiant and 188 Squadron, as well as the navy’s fleet commander, before becoming Deputy Secretary (Policy) at Mindef in September 2012. He received his first star at the age of 38, and was promoted to Rear-Admiral (two-star) on July 1.

The parade was witnessed by the Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Chee Meng and attended by senior SAF officers and servicemen from the navy. — The Straits Times/Asia News Network